Dear Vanagon Enthusiasts and other crazy people,
I've been watching the sinky westy prices for about a year on the net.
I've scored a few myself. If the price is right this usually entails
a full price airline ticket and the assurance that the person wont sell it
out from underneath you when the rest of the world finds out about the
bargain.
About expenses- all vanagons can bite. Trust me. I wont go into details. But
trust me. (maybe one reason I have a subaru powered van now)
Prices are market driven. Thats it. These vans are desireable it seems.
As far as snow, its awesome... As far as cool factor, ALL vanagons are cool
(especially with alloy wheels) but yes, its fun to sit high.
Since I have one on the market, Ive been getting a lot of these inquiries
lately- "does it have an automatic?" "is the price a typo?"
When I hear those questions I direct them to www.syncro.org for skoolin.
-steve
seattle

>From: Kevin Davis <kdavis@QSILVER.NET>
>Reply-To: Kevin Davis <kdavis@QSILVER.NET>
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Re: Are syncros more trouble...
>Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2001 20:16:31 -0500
>
>To begin with - FWIW and IMO - so please extinguish the flame throwers in
>advance.
>
>OK. So now my .02 worth - and remember, you get what you pay for.
>
>From a perspective purchaser's experience - I've been looking for a Syncro
>Westy, '87 or later, for several months - like 6 months. I am in the market
>for an excellent condition vehicle. $18k is as low as I've seen truly
>excellent condition '87's advertised. The '90's and '91's routinely are
>listed at $22k to $24k. They apparently sell near the asking price. The
>really rare '90 - '91 vehicle that is in excellent condition with
>exceptionally low mileage routinely has an asking price in the $25k to $27k
>range - again, they seem to sell for near their asking price. I have
>verified this with purchasers.
>
>Low dollar Syncro Westy's tend to need several thousand dollars worth of
>repairs before they are put back in "excellent" condition. Again - I have
>verified this by asking sellers lots of detailed questions about the
>condition of their vehicles.
>
>IMO what they are "worth" is what people are willing to pay.
>
>All of this being said, Bill Kasper scored the deal of the century. I've
>seen the pictures.
>
>Kevin
>Camden, ME
>
>
> > From: Bill Kasper <dragonlist@IPMTS.UCSC.EDU>
> > Reply-To: Bill Kasper <dragonlist@IPMTS.UCSC.EDU>
> > Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2001 10:00:47 -0800
> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > Subject: Re: Are syncros more trouble...
> >
> > on 3/5/01 9:38 AM, Craig Spaeth at spaeth@GORGE.NET wrote:
> > [snipped]
> >> I would just make a list of why you want the Syncro and see
> >> if
> >> the 2wd would take care of those reasons. If it comes down to the fact
>that
> >> you
> >> just want the coolness of owning a Syncro and it is worth it to you...I
>say
> >> go
> >> for
> >> it. The are great rigs. I am a skier and spend a lot of time in the
>snow and
> >> still
> >> can't justify the Syncro at this point (especially since we really like
>the
> >> Westy
> >> and a Syncro Westy becomes quite cost prohibitive.) Eventually we will
> >> probably
> >> end up with a Syncro Westy just for coolness sake but that day is a
>long way
> >> off.
> >
> > craig, and the list...we were searching for a simple westy, preferrably
>'86
> > or newer (we wanted the 2.1L) in good condition with no rust. so i
>searched
> > and searched, daily, for a month. went all over the web looking for
>these
> > things, and found it was a rare westy under $4K that fit these
>parameters.
> > most were in the $5-$8K range, and every one i called on had issues
> > (non-insurmountable ones, to be sure, but they weren't perfect little
> > runners!).
> >
> > then we stumbled on our syncro westy at a dealer's in north carolina. i
>can
> > tell the full story now, because i have the title on my desk next to me
>*S*.
> > they advertised in the autotrader.com, and i got there first. needless
>to
> > say, we decided that it would be ok to have a syncro westy for the price
>of
> > a non-syncro westy, and we sent money for a downpayment. the day our
>money
> > got there, i found out the following week, someone called and offered
>them
> > nearly twice the advertised price. they declined, holding the contract
>we'd
> > signed in an ethical manner (made ME happy, i will tell you what!). so,
>the
> > deals *are* out there, it just takes perserverence and search-engine
> > skill...among other things!
> >
> > to make a long story short, it's now getting on a truck and going to be
>in
> > our driveway sometime after next saturday. needless to say, we're
>looking
> > forward to it. we wouldn't have paid anything like the $12000-$20000
>most
> > syncro westys seem to get, because we didn't have that much money and
> > couldn't justify taking a loan out for the few times per year we'll use
>the
> > 4wd. but as long as we could get it for the same or better price as a
> > regular westy, we jumped quickly. yes, we'll have more expesnive
> > maintenance, etc., but in october my wife will be working and our income
> > will magically increase...so we'll be covered for the big problems, and
>the
> > minutae will slowly take care of themselves.
> >
> > btw, SO MANY people on this list have been a help, and a joy to
>correspond
> > with. someone wrote a lovely note about what kind of list this is, and
>i
> > certainly feel like we've been brought in with open arms. i can only
>hope
> > to return the favors granted to me in advice and the like as i learn
>about
> > our new vehicle.
> >
> > take care,
> > bill
> > '87 syncro westfalia
> >
> >

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